Packers chat with Pete Dougherty

Submit your questions for Pete's chat at noon Thursday, Oct. 27.

Why is it that our WR and TEs cannot get open? Is it scheme or talent? Whether it is talent or scheme why wasn't that corrected after seeing this last year? The truth is that the talent has not developed and GB needs to move on. Adams, Janis, Abbaderis are all potential guys who have not taken a step. At TE Rodgers is at best a 3rd stringer and Perrillo does not have the talent to be in the NFL. Rather than address these issues from 2015, all GB does is double down. It makes no sense to me.

by Bill10/27/2016 5:04:56 PM

Hi everybody, let's gt started. So earlier this week I watched a game from 2011, at Minnesota in Week 7. There definitely were more open receivers. Not night and day, but noticeable. Mainly Jennings was able to get open -- Rodgers also would throw it to him even when he had people on or around him -- and Finley too, though he had only two catches. The routes and everything looked the same, in fact now I'd say they run more man-beater stuff, such as bunching receivers. There are receivers open now too, or open enough, but they definitely don't have the WR/TE talent they had in '11. Nelson is what he was before the injury, and without Cook they don't have any speed or quickness at TE. I don't know if Adams or Janis or Abbrederis is the answer, but they should get more playing time with the 4 and 5 WR sets we're going to see for the next couple weeks, at least, if not longer.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:09:42 PM

Is spiller on s plane to Green Bay? If not, why not?

by Nik10/27/2016 5:09:47 PM

Not that I know of. I definitely think they should have signed him earlier, not so sure now. They already have one new RB in Davis, and he's probably better than Spiller but a different kind of back -- Davis is a lot bigger. Starks will be back in a few weeks, and Lacy might be back at late in the season. I guess if they don't think Lacy will be back I could see signing him, or if Jackson can't play for a few weeks. But adding him now just adds a second RB who doesn't know the offense, so I'm not sure how much good it will do them short term, and longer term they might not need him. I guess it mostly depends on whether Jackson can play with the hand injury, and whether they expect Lacy back late in the year.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:13:10 PM

Pete, Its becoming painfully obvious TT needs to make a bold move via trade or sign a vet DB to get us thru this disaster at CB of injuries.. Will TT step up and save this season??

by jpYosemite10/27/2016 5:13:19 PM

Not sure I agree. For one thing, to get a decent CB would cost a lot, teams just won't part with those guys because they're trying to win games too. One of the few places the Packers had depth was CB, though it's really young depth, so there will be ups and downs. Hyde can handle the nickel role, so that helps. Gunter has basically played three games, two good ones and one back one. I realize Goodson and Hawkins aren't as good as the guys they're replacing, but they're on the team for situations just like this. I'm just not as convinced as you are that Thompson could trade for someone who will be enough of an upgrade. Not saying it's impossible, but I'd guess it's unlikely.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:17:59 PM

Help me see a way in which the Packers could come away with a victory this Sunday. I don't see any of the three phases of the game going our way.

by Bruce10/27/2016 5:18:02 PM

If they can control the ball with the short passing game, like they did last week, that would keep Atlanta's offense off the field. That would improve their chances a lot. They'll also have to stop the run, and do it without committing an extra guy to the box, because they have Julio Jones to deal with. Freeman is a good back, so that won't be easy.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:19:15 PM

Pete. We have a QB who can pass the ball. When we passed (Detroit 1st half/Chicago game)we moved the ball with ease. When we tried to run (Detroit 2nd half/Dallas) we went nowhere fast. If the casual fan can see this, why can't the million dollar coaches see it. The O line is filled with pass blockers, not run blockers. When will we be "who we are" instead of "what we think we should be." This is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. It is a simple game called football.

by gmcgolf10/27/2016 5:19:54 PM

I'd still argue that running the ball, or at least the threat, is important. But I get your point. One thing I don't get is why they play TEs so much when they have seven WRs on the roster. Richard Rodgers and Perillo just aren't good enough to justify how much they were playing. I'd have gone more four WRs, force the defense to play dime, and then if you want to run, at least you're running against dime personnel, not nickel (so one fewer linebacker on the field). I know coaches love to have that extra blocker, but it's not like the Packers' TEs are great blockers. So I'd have done more four WR stuff earlier in the season. Anyway, we'll see how it plays out, because we're going to see a lot of four and five WR stuff in the next few weeks.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:22:59 PM

How attractive is Spiller vs. Kniles Davis? Thanks.

by JimmyLord10/27/2016 5:23:12 PM

I think Davis is better. He's much younger -- 25 to I think 29 for Spiller, that's a huge difference for RBs. Davis could be a starter but the big concern there is the fumbles. Spiller I think is better in the passing game, but for the role the Packers need without Lacy, I'd think Davis is the better option.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:25:34 PM

Pete, With Marshawn Lynch reportedly in great shape, why would TT not go after him to fill the Lacey/Starks void? It's highly unlikely Lacey even makes it back so why not roll the dice?

by jpYosemite10/27/2016 5:25:47 PM

Is it highly unlikely Lacy makes it back? I haven't heard that so can't say that that's true. For the Packers to get Lynch, he'd have to unretire, and then Seattle would have to cut him. I don't know if Seattle would do that. So Thompson would have to trade with the Seahawks. If I'm the Seahawks I'm not doing any deal that sends Lynch to the Packers unless I absolutely ransack them, or unless I think Lynch doesn't have it anymore. The Seahawks think they can win the SB and have to see the Packers as a bigger threat if they had Lynch -- again, unless they think Lynch is washed up.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:30:40 PM

Who's getting the touches these week at running back?

by Gopackgo 10/27/2016 5:30:53 PM

I'd guess Montgomery the most, don't know yet if Jackson is going to play. I'd think Davis will play more than he did last week.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:31:17 PM

Naturally after blasting Adams as a momentum killer he goes on to have a career game. Hope that he keeps going. What's up with Matthews?

by JimmyA10/27/2016 5:31:51 PM

As far as Matthews goes, all I know is he has a hamstring injury and didn't practice yesterday. McCarthy said today that Matthews will do at least some work in practice today. That suggests they think he has a decent chance to play this week, but we'll have to wait and see on that. They don't practice Fridays, so they probably won't know until Saturday's practice.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:33:54 PM

Will Thompson shock the world and make a trade for a RB or CB?

by don10/27/2016 5:33:58 PM

I'll bet against it. He already pulled off one shocker by trading for Davis.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:34:15 PM

thanks for taking my question. Are Don jackson, Knile Davis and Ty Montgomery the RB group for Sunday? If Jackson cannot go because of his hand or if Davis only knows part of the playbook, is another back necessary?

by gene from chicago10/27/2016 5:34:26 PM

They basically did it like that against Chicago, so they don't think it's necessary. That obviously means lots of snaps for Montgomery at RB, and some for Cobb. Maybe more one-back stuff for Ripkowski too.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:35:36 PM

When will Starks be back, and do you see Davis getting in the mix more?

by don10/27/2016 5:35:46 PM

Sounds like Davis stayed in GB over the weekend and worked with RB coach Ben Sirmans on the playbook, so he should be well ahead of where he was last week, though obviously still with limited knowledge of the playbook. Don't know when Starks will be back, just know it won't be this week.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:37:40 PM

Can a team such as the Packers finish the season with W/R's at the running back positions or is it just a stop gap idea!

by Cheesestradamus10/27/2016 5:37:56 PM

I'd think it's more of a stopgap, though I can't say for sure, because I do wonder if it still can change their offensive approach for the rest of the season. Things were going nowhere the way they were, so maybe this will mean they'll do more four and five WR stuff even when they get healthier at running back. Maybe this is what it takes to jump-start the offense and get it back in rhythm, using the short passing game as part of the running game, change the way teams defend them. So we'll see. I'm just not sure how playing the way they did against Chicago will work against really good defenses like Minnesota. It just seems like in the playoffs there would be a game where you'd need to be able to run the ball credibly. Let's see how it plays out.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:42:38 PM

Hey Pete, I'm on IR. Thanks for being so up to date on your job!

by Abby10/27/2016 5:42:45 PM

Right. My bad. Should have said Allison. He really did flash some ability to get open in camp, and Rodgers appeared to have no qualms about throwing him the ball. We'll see if McCarthy gets him on the field this week.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:45:06 PM

Who ranks where in the snap count for running backs this week?

by Cody10/27/2016 5:45:31 PM

All depends on whether Jackson plays. If he does, I'd guess Montgmery, Jackson, Davis in that order.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:45:59 PM

Pete,

It could be that I follow the Packers more closely, but is there any other team that has had potential career ending injuries to more premier players? Nick Collins, Jermichael Finley, Sam Shields, Jonathan Franklin (I realize he is not elite but could have been a solid player).

by Collin10/27/2016 5:46:16 PM

I can't say for sure about that, because I obviously know the Packers a lot better than any other teams. I'm sure they're not the only ones to lose good players like that, but I can't name others off the top of my head.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:48:09 PM

Where is Crockett? He looked great this pre season, knows our offense, and is cheap! Is he on a team or still hurt from preseason?

by Jmac10/27/2016 5:50:13 PM

Crockett is on the Packers' IR

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:50:22 PM

Is McCarthy the right man to get us back to the Super Bowl? I feel as if the Packers win continually every season due to talent but never because we out coached the other team. I think it's time for a different HC, thoughts?

by James K10/27/2016 5:50:46 PM

That's a big picture question, and a good and important question. It's also especially tough to answer during the season because things are so fluid. I remember in '10 when the Packers lost two in a row late in the year, which left them at 8-6. It looked like they weren't going anywhere. As we all know, they won out. So we need to let this play out, still 10 games to play, outlooks can change, sometimes dramatically, in that time. The one thing I'll say, as I have before, there are some in the league who think a coach shouldn't stay with a team for more than 10 to 12 years. McCarthy is in year 11 for those who subscribe to that philosophy.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:54:23 PM

So Pete how do you like the new team working with the JS guys?Any competition, do you feel like the JV who just got promoted?Do you refer to McGinn as gramps like AR allegedly did to #4?

by Jerry Tagge10/27/2016 5:54:40 PM

It's going really well. Always had the greatest respect for them having competed against them all those years. I don't think people around the country appreciate how competitive this market is, how detail-oriented the coverage on the Packers is because of the fan interest. There still is internal competition, sure. But they've been excellent to work with. Extremely knowledgeable and committed.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 5:57:37 PM

Shields or Lacy? Take your pick.

by Donald10/27/2016 5:57:40 PM

Really tough question, I've gone back and forth on this over the last week or so. I guess I still lean Lacy, but that could change if Davis shows much later in the season. Having a run threat can help a quarterback so much. The Packers could face a really tough call there if both are able to return. The defense has missed Shields whenever he's been gone.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 6:01:16 PM

Is MM tough on his players or is there a country club type atmosphere, as some have alleged? In MN, Zimmer really plays it straight with the Vikings' players. Do the players fear that if they don't give it everything they have, that they may not be around for long?

by Jerry Tagge10/27/2016 6:01:31 PM

I haven't heard anyone say it's a country club atmosphere at the Packers -- really haven't heard that about here since Lindy Infante. Zimmer does take a harder edge than most (almost all) other head coaches, and the players still seem to like him, at least it appears that way outside looking in. Sure looks like he's an excellent head coach. The Packers aren't a highly penalized team, so they're disciplined in that way. They don't churn the bottom of their roster like some teams, so players might not fear for their jobs as much as they did during, say, the Wolf era.

by Pete Dougherty10/27/2016 6:05:57 PM

Help me out here. Fans want the Packers to bring all these free agents in, but there's a price to pay each time they do. TT has to do his homework first, right?

by tghn10/27/2016 6:06:13 PM

Yes. And look, a lot of money is blown in free agency. There are way more bad signings than good ones. I still think he could do more signings like he did with Cook this year, and if they don't work, there's not a lot lost (shorter term deals, etc.). Same with in-season trades for a CB. You have to feel pretty good that the player is better than what you have, and worth the price of whatever draft pick you give up. Those picks are valuable, you can't go dealing them willy nilly.